


drenched in sunlight

by pinkwinwin



Series: dripping with stars [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Magic, Musical Instruments, Unspecified Setting, unspecified time period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 06:25:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18115127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkwinwin/pseuds/pinkwinwin
Summary: There's something about the music that dances across Kun's skin, that coaxes him closer like a sonnet whispered in the ear of some lover. He wants nothing more than to sit by the stranger's side, to see the delicate features up close as he's in the midst of song.





	drenched in sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone can use a little magical kunwoo, right? ♡
> 
> Unbeta'd, please be gentle.

If you follow the gentle bend of the beaten path, you eventually get to a hideaway in the middle of the forest, where the sun shines warm against the rich earth. It's where a small pond, surrounded by wildflowers and willow trees, nestles close to a cliffside. There was once a waterfall here, but it has long since dried up and the surface of the pond resembles a mirror in it's stillness.

 

This is where Kun finds solace.

 

It's easy to slip out of the academy, to let his boots tread the dusty pathways until the trees become familiar and the air feels fresher. A smile breaks out on his face when he gets to the pond, and he's eager to dip his feet in the cool water. Often he'll fall asleep there, amongst the swaying grass and shady willows bending down to reach him. By the time he wakes, the sun will have tucked away on the far side of the horizon and the crickets will begin chirping signaling that it is time for him to return to his quarters.

 

This afternoon is no different, a gentle sun ray lighting his path as he steps further into the woods. He can hear the commotion of other students laughing in the courtyard fade away as he walks between the trees, letting the gentle breeze card through his hair. He unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt, letting the warm sun soak into the skin of his neck.

 

The scenery becomes more familiar as he makes his way to the pond, but when Kun expects to hear deer stepping through grass and birds chirping, instead he hears something out of place. He furrows his brow, trying to make sense of the sound as he gets closer to its origin. It becomes increasingly clear as Kun approaches just the edge of the clearing, and he ducks behind a tree with exposed roots to conceal his arrival. He peeks beyond its trunk and his eyes land on a figure sitting near the pond.

 

Their blonde hair looks like silk even in the shade, the soft wind rustling it just enough to have it moving against the nape of their neck. The cloak splayed against the grass is a pale blue, its rare hue drawing a sense of curiosity from Kun. He’s most interested in the song the person is singing, it’s foreign tune enticing and making him want to draw closer. He attempts this, creeping out from behind the tree and taking cover behind a bush, but the snapping of a branch beneath his boot causes the person's breath to hitch. They stop their song, turning in Kun's direction seconds before he ducks behind the leafy covering. Between the leaves, Kun can make out the facial features of the person.

 

He's pretty like a porcelain doll, gently sloped nose and round eyes taking in the tree line. His lips are parted slightly, like two rose petals against his tanned skin. He turns his neck, trying to look behind him and trace the sound that interrupted his song. When he finds nothing, he sighs and pushes his hair off his forehead for a moment. Kun finds himself entranced, following every movement of the delicate man as he smooths out the cloak he's sitting on. He adjusts the way he's sitting, turning towards the general area where Kun is hiding. When another few moments pass with no sound, the stranger lets his eyes slide shut, tilting his head back and resuming his song. It's softer this time, more careful.

 

Kun finds it absolutely memorizing, and he watches the stranger until the late afternoon sun chases him from the clearing.

 

♫

 

The stranger doesn't leave Kun's mind, instead he seems to take residence in the forefront. Between magical history and configurations, Kun daydreams about the handsome man surrounded by wildflowers. He thinks of his delicate fingers combing through his hair when he's hunched over his writing desk, letting his feather pen glide over the paper as he journals. He even hears the song at night, when he's standing by the balcony in his room with his sheet music, flute perched carefully between his hands.

 

It's as if the wind has carried the man's voice through the forest, looping between the trees and climbing the Academy walls until they reach Kun's balcony. It's as if the man is right in that room singing for him and him alone. Kun knows what he wants to do, but the fear of scaring the stranger away is almost too much to bear.

 

So he climbs into bed night after night, and dreams of the man with blonde hair and a voice like songbirds.

 

♫

 

Kun gets to the clearing first this time, tucking behind a large tree with his knapsack. The sun is still high in the sky when the stranger enters from the opposite direction of the Academy, making sure not to step on any wildflowers growing out of the grass. The way he unhooks his cloak and places it on the grass is so careful it tugs at the corners of Kun's lips until he's grinning. That grin melts to something slack as the stranger begins to sing, gentle cords lifting into the air and seemingly carried all the way to Kun's hiding place. The stranger looks ever in place in the clearing as the grass that grows out of the ground and the willow trees that bend down to touch the water's surface.

 

There's something about the music that dances across Kun's skin, that coaxes him closer like a sonnet whispered in the ear of some lover. He wants nothing more than to sit by the stranger's side, to see the delicate features up close as he's in the midst of song. Kun's fingers curl around the cloth of his bag, and he waits for a break in the music to reach into it, producing the cool silver metal of a flute. It glints in the morning sun, coaxing its owner to sit alongside the beautiful man and trade songs.

 

When the music picks up again, something coiled in the center of Kun's chest loses it's drive, and his bravery is smudged out with every note the man sings. It's too beautiful, like looking at a crystal chandelier you're too afraid to train your gaze on for too long for fears of shattering it. Another song passes by and a gentle ray of sun illuminates the man among the grass. He looks heavenly, almost as if he isn't a real human but a figment of Kun's imagination. The flute hangs heavy in his hands, a solid reminder of his insecurity.

 

Not today, Kun thinks. Not yet.

 

♫

 

 

It rains for almost a month after that day, the gray clouds obscuring any hope of the sun peeking through. It feels oppressive, like the world doesn't want him to get any closer to the handsome stranger. He spends his days in the library or with friends, but Kun's gaze always trains to the windows facing the pathway to the clearing. If he wishes hard enough, the pelting of rain against the window pane melts away and leaves him with the beautiful voice of the man with hair soft as silk.

 

He practices his flute more, bargaining with the library until they carry more sheet music. He picks out the music that seems soft and welcoming, propping up the paper against the gold-plated stand in his room. He spends his evening by the balcony, practicing line after line of the songs.

 

It doesn't come anywhere close to the man's music.

 

His nights, once filled with a dreamless sleep, become centered on music. Sometimes it's Kun alone in the forest, the birds in the trees around him filling the air with song. Other nights it's Kun sitting alongside the man, taking in his profile as he sings and laughs. Even rarer still are the nights filled with sensations, of Kun imagining his hands carding through silky strands and pressing his lips to the hollow of the stranger's neck.

 

He wonders if he's becoming obsessive, spending his spare moments thinking of this stranger. Yet there is a voice in the back of his mind urging him to hold on, that his opportunity is coming soon. That someday he'll hear the man's song once again.

 

The day finally comes, and Kun wakes to the warmth of the sun radiating from his balcony. It's a day with no classes, so he slips his sheet music and instrument in his knapsack before tugging on his boots. He slips out the West entrance, and he can smell the dew on the grass as he walks. The familiar trees along the path welcome him, and he quickens his pace in order to reach the clearing. When he does, he takes his place at the base of a large tree. He kneels down, undoing his bag and producing the flute and sheet music. He leans the papers against the tree, raising the instrument to his lips and placing a few notes as a warmup. The gentle breeze rustles the papers, pressing them against the bark of the tree as he plays.

 

A soft crunching of leaves makes Kun stop playing, and he hears a gasp when he does. He stands up, bringing the flute to his chest and looking out into the clearing. The pretty stranger stands a few yards away, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise.

 

"Hello," Kun says gently. "I didn't mean to scare you."

 

"You didn't," a voice like honey answers him, and Kun breaks out into a smile. "I was just surprised that anyone else knew this place."

 

Kun laughs, stepping further into the clearing. "I've been coming here for the better part of a year, it's nice to unwind here after classes." The man's brows raise in interest.

 

"You're studying at the Academy?"

 

Kun's ears burn, and suddenly he feels shy. "Yes, I'm a third year." He expects the stranger to feel disgusted, as magic is seen as something sinister in their time, but instead his eyes light up.

 

"Oh that's just lovely!" he exclaims, unhooking his cloak and tossing it on the ground. He smooths it out haphazardly, kneeling down and urging Kun to do the same. "Come, come here."

 

Kun does as he's told, still bewildered by the man's actions. The man shakes out his hands, and for the first time Kun notices the delicate gold rings adorning his fingers. He takes a deep breath, pushing the hair out of his eyes and closing them for a moment. The man looks deep in thought, and Kun can't help but be flustered. The man holds out his hand, brow furrowed, but it instantly smooths out again when a glowing ball of light forms in the center of his palm. He smiles contently, letting his eyes open and his hand fall to his side. The orb of light floats between the two of them, and Kun’s jaw falls slack.

 

“You can do that?” he whispers, reaching out as if to touch the orb but falling just short of doing so. The man beams at him.

 

“I usually do this when I come here,” he replies easily, guiding the orb with his finger until it floats above them. Kun thinks for a moment, trying to recall when he sees the man’s brow furrow once again.

 

“What is it?” he asks, and a sense of shame runs through Kun. He clutches his flute closer to his chest and squares his shoulders, looking the man in the face.

 

“I’ve seen you here before,” Kun answers, and he expects the man to be embarrassed. It’s quiet between them for a moment, until a smile breaks across the pretty man’s face. He reaches out, laying his hand over Kun’s and looking at him.

 

“Why didn’t you come say hello?”

 

Kun looks up at the man, a sense of relief washing over him. The sunlight breaks through the trees, engulfing the pair as they sit in the center of the clearing. The man’s hair is glowing gold as he sits there drenched in sunlight, a soft smile playing on his lips. Kun feels breathless as he looks at him, and he asks the first thing that comes to mind.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

The man smiles, squeezing Kun’s hand slightly. “Jungwoo, what’s yours?”

 

“Kun,” he answers carefully, another question already on his lips. “Will you teach me that song you always sing?”

 

Jungwoo’s eyes crinkle as he grins, a laugh bubbling out of him. “Of course,” he answers, and he clears his throat before beginning the opening line. It’s slower this time, giving Kun the chance to pick up on the tone and notes. After a few moments, Jungwoo motions towards Kun’s flute and he picks it up carefully, experimenting with a few notes until he finds a comfortable range. They sit there as Kun plays and Jungwoo sings, and the gentle wind bends the wildflowers towards them as if they’re eager to hear the music. It isn’t perfect and sometimes Kun is clumsy, but when they finish their song Jungwoo is looking at him with a breathtaking smile.

 

“Well would you look at that,” Jungwoo breathes, tilting his head slightly when he looks at Kun. “Seems like we fit. Are you looking for a Songbird?” Kun thinks for a moment, looking at the way the sun seems to warm Jungwoo from the inside out. The answer comes easy.

 

“I have one now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and for the mods of NeoPrompts for putting on this great project! Comments and kudos are appreciated ♡
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pinkwinwin)   
>  [Curious Cat](curiouscat.com/pinkwinwin)   
> 


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